Examples

Patients whose lymphatic system is obstructed a condition called lymphedema that may result from parasites or from radiation treatment for cancer often exhibit swelling in the extremities, the result of pooling lymph.

The biopsy procedure known as sentinel lymph node SLN dissection has been praised for averting the removal of large numbers of armpit lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery, which can lead to a painful buildup of fluid called lymphedema.

But anyone starting more vigorous activity for the first time or who has particular risks – like the painful arm swelling called lymphedema that some breast cancer survivors experience – may need more specialized exercise advice, Schmitz says.

Many of those shows, even the one called "My Giant Foot" — about a woman with a condition called lymphedema, which causes her left leg to swell to enormous proportions — try to cloak their voyeurism in terms of medical information or self-help.